# Dill (Anethum graveolens)

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/plants/dill · Updated: 2026-10-29
Source: Plant Guide (https://plantguide.ae/plants/dill)

Dill · شبت  
herb · exotic · family Apiaceae · grows 0.5–1.2 m tall, 0.25–0.4 m wide · fast growth  
sun to part shade · moderate water need  
Ratings for Dubai (1–5, 5 is best): heat 1 · salt 1 · drought 1 · shade 2 · ease of care 3  
Sow or plant: Oct–Feb  
Uses: edible, container

## Also known as

- **English:** Dill weed
- **Botanical synonyms:** *Anethum sowa*, *Peucedanum graveolens*
- **Arabic (العربية):** شبت
- **Hindi (हिन्दी):** सोआ (Soa), सोया (Soya)
- **Malayalam (മലയാളം):** ചതകുപ്പ (Chathakuppa), ശതകുപ്പ (Shathakuppa)
- **Tamil (தமிழ்):** சதகுப்பை (Satakuppai), சதகுப்பி (Satakuppi)
- **Persian (فارسی):** شوید (Shevid)

A feathery cool-season herb: sow in place from October, cut leaf from about 45 days, and sow little and often until February. It dislikes transplanting and cannot take Dubai's heat.

## About

Meet dill, the herb that looks like green smoke and tastes of pickles, fish, potatoes and yoghurt sauces. A pot of it on a winter terrace makes a tall, fine-leaved plant within weeks, and a few snips go into whatever is on the table.

Its character is quick and a little impatient. It grows fast in cool weather, stands tall on slender hollow stems and, at the first real warmth, sends up a flower head and declines. It dislikes being moved, so it is sown where it will live, and the way to keep a supply is to sow a little every two weeks.

What it brings is fine texture and a second crop. First comes the leaf, then flat yellow flower heads, then seed. Left alone, it reseeds readily, so a single plant allowed to finish can supply next season's seedlings.

Dill is one of the quickest herbs on the Ministry's list. The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's Arabic planting calendar lists dill (الشبت) for field sowing in October and November, with harvest after about 45 days, and Bustan Dubai's plant guide gives October to February. That makes it a herb to sow in the first cool weeks and to keep sowing in small batches until February.

Dill grows from a taproot like a carrot (Wikipedia), and the taproot makes it difficult to transplant (Illinois Extension), so sow it where it will grow, in a deep pot or a bed. It wants full sun in moist, well-drained soil (Illinois Extension), and Wikipedia says even partial shade reduces the yield substantially, though a desert nursery guide suggests morning sun or filtered shade for dill in a hot desert climate. In Dubai that means the sunniest spot you have through winter and some afternoon shade as March warms. Bustan Dubai advises watering deeply and keeping water off the foliage.

Heat is the limit. Bustan Dubai rates dill's heat tolerance as low, and plants decline soon after they begin to flower (Illinois Extension), so sow little and often rather than all at once. Let a few plants flower if you want seed: dill reseeds readily (Illinois Extension), and the dry seed heads are dill seed for the jar. Bustan Dubai adds that UAE tap and groundwater carry dissolved salts, and advises flushing pots and beds now and then with two to three times the normal volume of water. Dill sits well beside [coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md) and [lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md) in the cool-season bed.

## Through the year

Dill's season in Dubai runs from October to about April. Seed goes in from October, and the Ministry's calendar gives about 45 days to the first cut, so leaf is ready from November. Sowing continues in small batches until February, which keeps cutting going through to April, with aphids, whitefly and caterpillars worth checking for from October to March. From April the average daily high is 33.7°C and dill, which Bustan Dubai rates low for heat tolerance, is past its best in the open. Plants left to flower drop seed that can sprout the following cool season.

| When | What | Note |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Oct–Feb | Sow: Sow in place, little and often | Ministry calendar (Arabic edition): field sowing October–November. Bustan Dubai: October to February. Sow a short row or pot every two weeks (Illinois Extension). |
| Nov–Apr | Harvest: Cut feathery leaf | Ministry calendar: about 45 days from sowing. Leaf can be cut at any time (Illinois Extension). |
| Oct–Mar | Pest watch: Aphids, whitefly and caterpillars | Check leaf undersides and growing tips; small infestations can escalate within days in UAE warmth (Bustan Dubai). |
| Apr–Sep | Heat stress: Too hot in the open | Bustan Dubai rates dill's heat tolerance low. Dubai's average daily high is 33.7°C in April and 38.2°C in May. |

## Care in Dubai

- **Watering in summer:** Not grown in the open in Dubai's summer.
- **Watering in winter:** Water deeply, then let the surface dry between sessions, and keep water off the foliage (Bustan Dubai).
- **While establishing:** Keep the seed bed evenly moist until the seedlings are up.
- **Soil:** Moist, well-drained, rich soil (Illinois Extension; Wikipedia). In a pot, use a good potting mix with compost and a pot deep enough for the taproot.
- **Feeding:** Dill is a short crop, so start it in a rich mix. Bustan Dubai advises flushing the soil now and then with two to three times the normal volume of water, because UAE tap and groundwater carry dissolved salts.
- **Pruning:** Cut leaf at any time. For seed, let the flowers mature, usually two to three weeks after the blossoms appear, then cut the heads into a paper bag and hang it in a cool, dry, ventilated place (Illinois Extension).
- **Planting:** Sow in place from October to February, a short row or pot every two weeks. Do not transplant: the taproot makes dill difficult to move (Illinois Extension).
- **Pests and problems:** Aphids; Whitefly; Caterpillars
- **Toxicity:** Non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, according to the ASPCA, which notes that dill's essential oils can cause dermatitis with prolonged contact.

## Good and bad

**Pros**
- Quick: about 45 days from sowing to harvest (UAE Ministry calendar)
- Two crops from one sowing: feathery leaf, then dill seed from flowered plants
- Reseeds readily, so one plant left to flower gives next season's seedlings
- Fits a deep pot on a balcony or the edge of a cool-season bed

**Cons**
- Taproot makes it hard to transplant, so it must be sown in place
- Low heat tolerance (Bustan Dubai), and it declines once it flowers
- Needs a sunny spot: even partial shade cuts the yield (Wikipedia)
- Aphids, whitefly and caterpillars visit it (Bustan Dubai)

## Common mistakes

- Transplanting seedlings. The taproot makes dill difficult to move, so sow where it will grow.
- Sowing everything at once. Plants decline soon after they flower, so a single sowing gives a glut and then nothing. Sow every two weeks.
- Sowing late. Dill's heat tolerance is low (Bustan Dubai), and a March sowing runs into April's 33.7°C average high.
- Watering over the leaves. Bustan Dubai advises keeping water off the foliage.
- Never flushing the soil. UAE tap and groundwater carry dissolved salts, which build up and burn salt-sensitive roots (Bustan Dubai).

## Good to know

- The English edition of the Ministry's planting calendar shows the dill row with a picture and no name; the Arabic edition names it الشبت (dill), field sowing October to November, harvest after 45 days.
- Dill is an annual that grows from a taproot like a carrot, and can reach 0.5 to 1.5 m tall (Wikipedia).
- The ASPCA lists dill as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses, though its essential oils can cause dermatitis with prolonged contact.
- Black swallowtail caterpillars often eat dill, fennel and parsley where that butterfly occurs (Wikipedia), so some gardeners grow it for the butterflies.

## Using it in a garden

Roles: Container herb, Bed-edge herb, Pickle and salad garden, Cool-season kitchen crop

Give dill a deep pot, or a corner of a raised bed, where it can stay from sowing to seed: the taproot does not like to be moved. Put it in the sunniest spot you have from October to February, and next to slower, shorter crops that its tall, fine foliage will not shade. Sow a new patch every two weeks and let one plant flower and drop seed.

- [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md): Both are Apiaceae herbs listed for October to November field sowing by the Ministry, and both are sown little and often, so they share a bed and a calendar.
- [Parsley](https://plantguide.ae/plants/parsley.md): Another Apiaceae herb with the same Ministry sowing window; parsley is slower and tolerates a little more shade, so give it the shadier end of the bed.
- [Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md): A salad crop for the same cool season, and dill goes into the salad bowl, so they can share a bed and a drip line.

## FAQ

**When do I sow dill in Dubai?**  
From October to February. The Ministry's Arabic calendar gives field sowing in October and November, with harvest after about 45 days, and Bustan Dubai gives October to February. Sow a little every two weeks.

**Why did my dill flower so soon?**  
Dill declines soon after it begins to flower (Illinois Extension), and Bustan Dubai rates its heat tolerance low. Sow little and often, stop sowing after February and cut leaf early.

**Can I start dill in a tray and transplant it?**  
It is better not to. The taproot makes dill difficult to transplant (Illinois Extension), so sow it where it will grow.

**Is dill safe for pets?**  
The ASPCA lists dill as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses. It notes that the essential oils can cause dermatitis with prolonged contact.

**What is dill called in Arabic, Hindi and Malayalam?**  
Shibt (شبت) in Arabic, soa (सोआ) in Hindi, chathakuppa (ചതകുപ്പ) in Malayalam, satakuppai (சதகுப்பை) in Tamil and shevid (شوید) in Persian.

## Related plants

[Parsley](https://plantguide.ae/plants/parsley.md) · [Coriander](https://plantguide.ae/plants/coriander.md) · [Lettuce](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lettuce.md) · [Fenugreek](https://plantguide.ae/plants/fenugreek.md)

## Photos

![A patch of dill (Anethum graveolens) with feathery foliage and young flower stalks](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Anethum_graveolens_001.JPG)  
Photo: H. Zell / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anethum_graveolens_001.JPG))

![Dill in flower, with tall stems topped by flat yellow umbels](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Anethum_graveolens_HC1.jpg)  
Photo: Holger Casselmann / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anethum_graveolens_HC1.jpg))

![Fine, feathery dill foliage against a blue sky](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/20190418Anethum_graveolens1.jpg)  
Photo: AnRo0002 / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20190418Anethum_graveolens1.jpg))

![A single dill umbel packed with small yellow flowers](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Anethum_graveolens_Ab-05.jpg)  
Photo: Andrey Butko / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anethum_graveolens_Ab-05.jpg))

## Sources

- [UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: Dates for Planting Vegetables and Fruits in the UAE (Arabic edition, الشبت)](https://moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/56f7a89b/agriculture_calender_page_ar.pdf.aspx)
- [UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment: Dates for Planting Vegetables and Fruits in the UAE (English edition)](https://moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/56f7a89b/agriculture_calender_page_en.pdf.aspx)
- [Bustan Dubai: Dill (UAE planting months, heat tolerance, pests, salts; checked 2026-10-29)](https://www.bustandubai.io/plants/dill)
- [Illinois Extension: Dill](https://extension.illinois.edu/herbs/dill)
- [Star Nursery: StarNote 215, Growing Herbs in the Desert (July 2024)](https://www.starnursery.com/StarNotes/SN215_Grow-Herbs-Desert.pdf)
- [ASPCA: Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants, Dill](https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/aspca-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants/dill)
- [Wikipedia: Dill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill)
- [Wikipedia: Climate of Dubai (1991 to 2020 normals)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Dubai)
- [Kew WCVP (the checklist behind POWO), read via GBIF: Anethum graveolens](https://www.gbif.org/species/206529866)
- [Arabic Wikipedia: شبت](https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D8%A8%D8%AA)
- [Hindi Wikipedia: सोआ](https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%86)
- [Malayalam Wikipedia: ചതകുപ്പ](https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%9A%E0%B4%A4%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%81%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AA)
- [Tamil Wikipedia: சதகுப்பி](https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%BF)
- [Persian Wikipedia: شوید](https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B4%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF)